The Saint Louis Park City Council voted to table consideration of a proposal to develop a Chipotle restaurant with a pickup‑only drive‑through at the southwest corner of Knollwood Mall, directing staff to bring the matter back to the Oct. 6, 2025 council meeting.

Caitlin Champu, an associate planner in the community development department, presented the applicant’s proposal and the staff recommendation. Champu said the owner (Lindsay Knollwood 2 LLC) proposes to develop a Chipotle on a vacant parcel at 8528 Highway 7 and to adjust approvals on the adjacent parcel at 8530 Highway 7 so the two properties can share parking and circulation. Staff asked the council to approve a comprehensive‑plan amendment (to change part of 8528 Highway 7 from right‑of‑way to commercial), approve conditional‑use permits allowing in‑vehicle service (drive‑through) and shared/off‑site parking, and rescind an existing special permit for the northern parcel and replace it with a conditional‑use permit.

Champu described site specifics: the Chipotle parcel will be accessed from 30 Seventh Street West via an easement through the existing commercial parking lot; the Minnesota Department of Transportation had previously restricted direct access to Highway 7 when it released a highway easement in 2022; the combined parking requirement for both properties is 84 spaces after a 10% transit‑proximity reduction; the project proposes 68 spaces on the existing commercial lot and 16 on the Chipotle lot; the Chipotle drive‑through layout provides stacking for eight vehicles at the pickup window (zoning requires at least six); three pull‑in spaces are included to reduce queuing; and the applicant proposes planting 15 new trees and 92 shrubs. Champu said the applicant does not propose removing existing trees.

The application was reviewed by the Planning Commission on Aug. 20. Planning commissioners voted 6–1 to recommend approval; staff noted that one resident had submitted written opposition before the planning meeting citing the city’s environmental‑stewardship goal of reducing vehicle emissions by 25%.

At the council dais, one member said the council was “light” — two council members were absent — and moved to table the item to Oct. 6 so the full council could consider it. Councilors who spoke during the discussion cited several concerns: policy direction on allowing drive‑throughs in the city; how drive‑throughs fit with the city’s anti‑idling and environmental‑stewardship goals; and site circulation and pedestrian safety where cars could queue near sidewalks. One councilor said approving the comprehensive‑plan amendment requires discretion and that the proposed facility feels “tightly fit into a small site.” The mover expressed discomfort being the single deciding vote in the absence of two colleagues and supported deferring the decision.

The motion to table was seconded and carried. Council and staff confirmed that tabling pauses the comprehensive‑plan amendment and conditional‑use decisions until Oct. 6 so the full council can consider the Planning Commission record, staff analysis and any additional public input.

Why this matters: the project would change a portion of the property’s long‑range land‑use designation, add a drive‑through use and alter on‑site circulation. Those are discretionary decisions that involve land‑use policy tradeoffs (access, circulation, emissions and pedestrian safety) and—because they affect a visible commercial corridor—draw neighborhood interest.

Speakers (from the meeting record)
- Caitlin Champu, Associate Planner, Community Development Department (presented staff report)
- Jay Lindsey, property owner (Lindsay Knollwood 2 LLC; present in audience)
- Planning Commission (record: recommendation 6–1 in favor)
- Council members (mover/second and commenters summarized above)

Authorities referenced in the meeting record
- Existing special permit for 8530 Highway 7 (originally approved 1985; amended that same year and again the following year)
- Proposed comprehensive plan amendment for 8528 Highway 7 (change from right‑of‑way to commercial)

Actions (from the meeting record)
- Motion: Table the comprehensive plan amendment and related conditional‑use permit requests for the Knollwood Chipotle project to Oct. 6, 2025. Mover: not specified in the record. Second: not specified. Outcome: motion carries; item tabled.

Discussion vs. formal action
- Discussion: staff presentation of site plan, parking, access, landscaping and Planning Commission recommendation; council concerns about drive‑throughs, emissions and pedestrian safety.
- Direction: item tabled to Oct. 6 to allow full council consideration.
- Formal action: tabling motion carried (no adoption of plan amendment or permits at this meeting).

Clarifying details extracted from the record
- Addresses: 8528 Highway 7 (vacant parcel proposed for Chipotle) and 8530 Highway 7 (existing commercial buildings including a Firestone and a multi‑tenant building that includes Jimmy John’s with a drive‑through).
- Parking: combined required parking = 84 spaces (includes 10% reduction for proximity to transit); proposed = 68 parking spaces on existing commercial lot + 16 spaces on Chipotle lot.
- Stacking: zoning requires six cars in a drive‑through queue; Chipotle layout provides stacking for eight cars at the pickup window; three pull‑in spaces added to reduce queuing.
- Landscaping: applicant proposes 15 new trees and 92 shrubs; no tree removals proposed.
- MDOT easement: Minnesota Department of Transportation released a highway easement over 8528 Highway 7 in 2022 and restricted direct access to Highway 7 when it did so.
- Planning Commission action: recommendation to approve 6–1 after a public comment was received in opposition (written) citing vehicle emissions concerns.

Proper names extracted
- Knollwood Mall; Chipotle; Firestone; Jimmy John’s; Lindsay Knollwood 2 LLC / Jay Lindsey; Civil Site Group; Minnesota Department of Transportation; Route 17; Highway 7; Planning Commission; Metropolitan Council.

Community relevance
- Geographies affected: Ward 3 and the Knollwood Mall corridor; nearby pedestrian routes and bus Route 17.
- Impact groups: adjacent commercial property owners, customers, nearby residents and pedestrians.

Meeting context
- Engagement level: Planning Commission public hearing held Aug. 20 (no attendees in person at that meeting; one written comment opposing). Council hearing occurred with reduced attendance (two council members absent), prompting the tabling motion.
- Implementation risk: medium; approvals would require municipal permitting and Metropolitan Council review of the comprehensive‑plan amendment if adopted.
- History: special permit on the northern parcel dates to 1985 with subsequent amendments; MDOT easement release in 2022.

Searchable tags:["Knollwood","Chipotle","drive-through","comprehensive_plan","conditional_use","planning_commission","Highway 7"]

Provenance (selected meeting record evidence)
- topicintro: {"block_id":"t=2992.1848","local_start":0,"local_end":60,"evidence_excerpt":"I'm Caitlin Champu... and tonight, I'll be presenting the Knollwood Chipotle project for your review and consideration.","tc_start":"00:49:52"}
- topicfinish: {"block_id":"t=3866.465","local_start":0,"local_end":45,"evidence_excerpt":"Anybody opposed to tabling? Seeing none, we will table this item.","tc_end":"01:04:26"}